The Future Changed: LeBron Goes Full Tool Right Before Our Eyes
Anywhere but Miami.
When Chris Bosh began waxing Dwyane Wade’s Cadillac and it became apparent that “the man” in Toronto was willing to settle for being “a man” in Miami, the horrifying thought that a super team was a-brewing grabbed my synapses and refused to let go until 9:26 pm EST when LeBron completed the unholy trinity. I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s not like I’ve ever thought much of the guy.
I have no doubt I’ll be spending the better part of the summer and autumn articulating why this is awful for the league as a whole, so I won’t waste my word count doing it here. Instead, I’m going to waste my word count extolling on why LeBron James could have become an American hero on Thursday night and instead, chose to become the NBA’s most reviled player.
Think Minnesota Favre. Think Toronto Clemens. Think pin-up Kournikova.
Gambling addicts never see their winnings the same way casual gamblers do. When casual gamblers win $100 bucks at a table, they see it as $100 more than they had when they started. When gambling addicts win $100, they don’t think of it as winning $100. They think of how much they could have won if only they’d bet more. Psychologically, they feel as if they lost. The stakes are higher; winning is impossible. So was LeBron James’ decision as a free agent. He’s a sucker if he stayed in Cleveland, a fool if he went to New Jersey or L.A., a side-stepper if he went to Chicago, a cliché if he went to New York and a punkass coward if he went to Miami.
Punkass coward it is.Mark it eight, Smokey.
I won’t refute this claim. I might rephrase it so that LeBron James is more a phoney and a fool, but I won’t eat your lunch for calling him a punkass or a coward.
Because like those gambling addicts, LeBron James didn’t win by earning advertising revenue for the Boys and Girls Club of America, he lost by hosting this B.S. in the first place. When the media makes a spectacle- they’re doing their job. When he makes a spectacle, he’s being a douche. He wants the Boys and Girls Club of America to reap hundreds of thousands of dollars? Why doesn’t LeBron James just give it to them then? I’ve been hearing rumors that he’s come into a bit of money lately.
Speaking of which, Bron Bron – don’t tout your nobility for choosing wins over a payday when there’s a deal in the works to force Michael Beasley out of a job so that the Heat can afford your max-salary along with your two new best bros. James didn’t take a pay cut, he’s just earning the money differently than he might have with Cleveland.
Had LeBron James gone on national television to announce that he was staying with the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish what he’s started with them for seven years, he would have been seen as a hero – a friend to the everyman. At the very least, he wouldn’t have been seen like this – a turncoat and a chump who just gave up the chase toward Michael Jordan’s legacy. He went on national television to announce thet he was ditching the Cavs. Screw ‘em. Screw the dancing and commraderie. Screw his home and the fans that love him. Screw the one place that treated him like more than a commodity. Basketball, James reminded us several times in his self-imposed television special, is a business.
Interesting then, that he didn’t take the job that offered him the most money. By that fact alone, it seems as if more than just business played a part in this decision, a fact that Clevelanders from all walks should ponder hard while burning their old No.23 jerseys.
He went on television with the intention of announcing where he was going, but revealed instead, what he was okay with leaving behind. He wasn’t winning a few Heat teammates, he was losing a fanbase.
LeBron really wanted us to believe he’s a good guy in all this. Calling a massive media event, but giving the proceeds to charity. Completing a disgusting super team, but doing it with wins in mind instead of money. Very few will see it that way. James will make as much as he would have with most others teams, but no other team could have supported three of the league’s top 10 players. In the end, James could have donated money to a dozen of his favorite charities without shamlessly calling attention to the fact that he was doing so if that was what was ultimately most important to him.
And that’s why 9:26 pm EST on Thursday July 8, 2010 will mark the moment James’s role in the sports world changed. This is George Lucas’ Episode One. This is Alex Rodriguez signing with the Rangers. This is David Caruso leaving “NYPD Blue.”
The world held its breath waiting for LeBron James to make a decision.
He did.
Now watch the world turn.
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5 Responses for “The Future Changed: LeBron Goes Full Tool Right Before Our Eyes”
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Chet – The Heat would love to have Alston, J.O. (off to Boston) and Udonis, but at this point, they can’t afford ‘em. None of ‘em. They’re going to have to settle for Mike Miller, me, you and a used VHS copy of “Michael Jordan’s Playground” to round out the roster.
Oh and Kaboom, you know nothing. Period.
Stick to the kiddie pool from now on.
Way to go Adam, calling them like you see them. This is the beginning of the end for LeBron. There are sooooo many things wrong with him going to Miami that I’ll be surprised if he can survive the next two seasons without incident. First, you’re 25 and moving to South Beach, with all it’s temptations and troubles (Not to mention that he’s going to roast in the summer down there). Second, you’re going to be playing with Bosh and Wade and……….. thats it! Udonis Haslem? Jermaine O’Neal?…wait, is that Rafer Alston???? Dear god, man, I thought you wanted to win a championship.
LeBron is going to go the way of many past “stars” that have faded and will have nothing to show for it, ala Allen Iverson. Why do you think superteams haven’t been built in the past, Bron? Cause they weren’t super-best-friends? Thats too much ego and too much money for one lineup to handle. The Celtics pulled it off cause Pierce, Allen and Garnett weren’t as big of superstars…..and they only won 1 championship!
It’s doubtful that they’ll all get to play together anyway, since Wade will prolly get injured 5 games into the season and then LeBron will be right back where he started, with a decent player in Bosh and a bunch of nobodys. And another thing, BOSH IS NOT A SUPERSTAR! I have to agree with Bill Simmons on this one, he’s a solid player, but he was the “STAR” on a Toronto team that had little else, thats it.
LeBron, you are in for a rude awakening this next season. You just killed the best thing you had going for you….your fanbase. Miami will support you, but not the same way Cleveland did. You should be ashamed and are a disgrace to the NBA, the state of Ohio, and yourself. Ugh, f— this guy, just another reason to hate basketball.
AAAAAhhhhhhh! Asshole … f—ing son of a bitch f—in moron. First f—in eat you lunch before you eat others u crack pot. You bullhit gobller … stop sh—ing on the net and get a life. You moron The King James is still a hero and will remain one. He is not for money he is for winning championships. The Cleve Land fans should be happy that he atleat stayed there for 7 yrs. By the time he hangs his shoes he would have far suppassed Jordan. There are no free lunches in these world and you not get mine. To get the rings Miami is the best place for Lebron so f—in do what you were supposed to in summer and autumn and come and sh– your bullsh– here there are no takers. May be go eat the kings sh– for Lunch.
I still can’t believe how the Cavs owner is lashing out at LBJ. Oh well, there’s rumors he’s gonna get a shoe contract and will be wearing retro Jordans next year, the same as DWade and Quentin Richardson.